The Other
by BatPhace
Summary: What if Toby wasn't the only child to escape Jareth? What if Jareth wanted that child back? Just a thought, Please PLEASE R&R! M for language and slashiness. Chapter 3!
1. History

Hey all! This is just a little idea that popped into my head the other night, haven't been able to get rid of it so I thought I'd post it and see what happens. If I don't get enough of the right response I'll drop it, so PLEASE R&R!. M for language and slashy themes, just a little so far, but it could get worse. You've been warned. Bon appetit.

Disclaimer: We all know damn good and well that I don't own anything related to the Labyrinth. Valerian, however, is mine! All mine!(evil laughter)

* * *

Two young men sat in a dorm room somewhere; one fidgiting anxiously with a small basketball, the other working intently on a song on his computer.

"Dude, Val, you need a break. That song isn't going anywhere, come out with me tonight, get laid, you'll feel better." Dale was practically on his knees begging his roommate to come out with him. Dale only had Val's best interest at heart, but he was getting annoying.

"I don't feel like it tonight, let me be, Dale," Val was getting irritated. He knew his friend had the best of intentions but he really had to finish his song or it was going to drive him crazy.

"_Valerian_… don't leave me hangin' like this man!" All right, now he was just being whiney. Dale knew Val hated his real name. It reminded him of his parents, which were memories he wished he didn't have.

His mother disappeared when he was little, and it drove his father to insanity. He was delusional, and always told Val the same story about a goblin king and some other magical world. The story was always the same. On his second birthday Val's father got so upset with him that in a drunken rage he wished for goblins to come take him away. And so they did and the Goblin King came and put forth the option for one or the other of his parents to run his Labyrinth and get Val back. His mother had gone and exactly thirteen hours later Val showed back up on their doorstep, hungry but otherwise without a scratch. His mother never came back, and his father, wracked with guilt, had receded into a psychotic state. Not violent, just… secluded.

The police never found his mother, and suspected that his father had killed her. But his ravings of magical worlds and goblin kings had earned him an insanity plea so they threw him into an asylum and left him there to rot. Val visited him faithfully, knowingin his heart that he couldn't have done thethings the police accused himof.It broke his heart every time. All his father could do was mumble about how he should have run the Labyrinth instead, how it was all his fault that his mother was gone, how he never should have let her go. Val wasn't even sure his father recognized him anymore.

His grandma was the only blessing in his life and had seen to it that he had everything he ever needed. His grandmother raised him and got him into music at a young age to cope with his frustration and resentment. He was now a music major, in fact. Music had become his life, listening to it and writing it. It was a way to channel his bitterness into something productive. He played all types of instruments; violin, piano, guitar (electric and acoustic), drums, bass, you name it and, for the most part, he played it. It was his outlet, his freedom. The only time he felt any peace was when he played. Dale suddenly brought his attention back to the present.

"Man, come on. Your know I hate going to The Oasis alone!" Once again Val declined and Dale was forced to go to their favorite bar all alone.

Moments later Val found himself thinking of eyes. Not just any eyes. These eyes haunted him, day and night, for as long as he could remember. He had never seen anyone with eyes like this. One was a limpid greenish blue like the color of tropical seawater. The other was just the opposite; black with a ring of the deepest brown around the outside. It was like looking through a glass of rum and coke. He had tried to paint them many times, but he couldn't ever get the colors right. They were so wildly beautiful that Val felt them burning into him even in his dreams. They gave him tingles when he thought of them; they conveyed such cruelty, but at the same time they were full of this inviting warmth that he had never seen before.

A sound in the hallway brought Val's thoughts crashing back to his surroundings. He brushed back his black hair and groaned as he realized he was truly stuck. There was one spot in the middle of his song where the riff he loved the most just didn't fit, and he couldn't fix it without totally starting over.

'Damn, maybe Dale was right, maybe I do need to go out.' He walked to the bathroom to brush his hair. He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment. He was tall, six-foot or so. His black hair came to his jaw, it would be longer if it weren't so wavy, he thought. It framed his oval face nicely, though, so he had decided not to cut it like his grandma suggested. His eyes, ghostly light gray and framed in long, thick eyelashes, were full of pent up sorrows and repressed feelings, feelings he couldn't express except for in his music. He splashed water over his face and threw his coat on. 'I can still catch up with Dale, he's the slowest person I know,' he snickered as he locked their dorm room door and trotted out to the street.

* * *

Jareth had watched for nineteen years as the second child to escape his grasp grew into a very keen and attractive young man. Toby had been the first to escape him, due only to Sarah's cunning and Jareth's feelings for her. But that was all over now, a silly and short lived passion to lighten the mundane centuries of his rule. He had told himself Toby would be the only. But Valerian… he had been different. His mother sacrificed herself for him, took his place as a goblin in Jareth's court so that her son could return unharmed to his father. Even Jareth couldn't deny such goodness, such nobility. Such pure hearted intentions deserved reward, but even though he had returned the child Aboveground Jareth still considered Valerian his. He couldn't just let the boy go, not after he had lost Toby. What would the Council think?

He had convinced them that Valerian was an experiment. An amusement, if you will. He had branded the child's subconscious with his eyes, letting them haunt his every waking (and non waking) moment. It was interesting to see how is experiences as a child affected him as a man.

The bitter truth was Jareth was lonely, and Valerian was a very interesting human. The Fae gave little thought to gender, and Valerian was so beautiful. He wrote beautiful music as well, Jareth could sit and listen for hours. And so he waited until the boy was restless enough with his life to come and be reclaimed to his rightful place at Jareth's side.


	2. Introductions

Okay, so I may have to go back and rework Chapter one. It doesn't flow quite the way I want it to. Don't make me beg though, PLEASE REVIEW! Please please please! Good or bad, I don't care, just review! I need to know if you guys think this is worth doing right!

Disclaimer: I don't own em, I just like to play with em -evil grin-. Well, I do own Val, so I can do whatever I damn well please with him.

* * *

Val and Dale left the bar in a drunken stupor to stumble back to their dorm room… without female company. Dale slurred.

"I ssstill think I hadd a shot with that red head, wwwhat was her name? Oh yeah, Georgia, or was it Joanna?" Val chuckled. He was considerably less drunk than Dale (he'd only had a beer and a couple shots, whereas Dale had almost half a fifths worth of bourbon shots in him). But Val was drunk enough to question his vision when he saw the blond man that had been leaning against the wall watching him as he walked down the sidewalk disappear. He shook it off, probably because of the booze, and kept walking. They teetered together, laughing and poking fun at each other.

"You didn't have a _hiccup _chance in hell _hiccup _with her and you know it." Val retorted. He saw the same man again about a block later, standing under a street light. He went to point the man out to Dale, but yet again he disappeared. 'Strange,' he thought. He filed the encounter away in the back of his mind, but still didn't pay much mind to it. If he had been sober he would have been alarmed, but at the moment his only concern was getting his much too inebriated friend home and into bed. They continued their playful banter until they got to the top of the stairs and headed to their dorm room. Val noticed wisps of blond hair and what seemed to be the edges of a lanky body vanish around the corner at the end of their hallway. 'What the hell?' he thought to himself as he practically drug his friend into their room.

"Last stop buddy," Val said dropping his faltering friend off his shoulder.

"See, you feel better now, huh? That's what happens when you _hiccup_ come out with me." Dale collapsed on his bed, bleary eyed and only about half aware.

"Yeah I guess. You okay man?" Val asked, concerned. It had been a long time since he'd seen his friend this drunk.

"Yeah yeah man, I just neeeed to sleeeep it off," he giggled, "Maybe I'll find that chick again someday." That was the last Val heard before Dale started snoring. Val shook his head. Dale sure knew how to overdo it sometimes. He decided to get back to work on his song; maybe an unclear mind would help bring it new perspective. He pulled up the file on his computer and listened to it. Not worried about disturbing his roommate, he turned the volume up. Closing his eyes, he relaxed, breathing slowly. He tried to picture the notes dancing about in his mind.

"Valerian…" His eyes shot open as he thought he heard his name whispered from somewhere. He looked over at Dale who was breathing, but that was it. He shrugged, content that it was just his drunken mind playing tricks on him, he settled back to listen to his song again.

"Valerian…" Son of a bitch, that time he knew he heard it. He looked around his room, stood and checked on Dale, then went to his door and opened it slowly poking his head out and around the corner. The hall was silent, and finding no one there he shut the door resting his forehead against the frame for a moment sighing. 'I need to get some sleep' he thought. He turned back to his computer and almost jumped out of his skin as the man he'd seen on the street was lounging across his bed. He suddenly felt very sober. His heart began to pound.

"What the shit? Who are you and what are you doing here? How did you get in?" he went to grab for something, anything to defend himself with incase things went downhill, but there was nothing suitable within arms reach. 'Hand to hand it is then,' he thought. He put his back to the door and wished for the best. Then the man spoke.

"Settle down, Valerian, I'm not here to hurt you." His voice was low, but not threatening as Val had expected. It was smooth and mild, it sort of reminded him of opium incense. Val shook his head to bring his thoughts back to why this man was here.

"Answer me, who are you and how did you get in here? How do you know my real name? You were watching me on the street, following me. What the fuck is going on!" Val went on guard as the man moved and then rose from the bed and walked toward him. He kept his head low, but he was still taller than Val would have thought. He was maybe six feet, wispy blond hair, high cheekbones, perfectly teasing lips. He was dressed in black riding boots, tight black breeches and a billowing white poet's shirt that was open enough in front to make out a beautifully pale yet well-muscled chest. He walked with a regal air, like Val would imagine a king would walk.

"My how you have grown in the years since I've seen you, in person, of course. Reflections in crystals just aren't the same, you know." The man kept his eyes low, which Val thought was odd.

"You're still not answering my questions, who are you, why are you here, and how in the HELL did you know my real name?" Val was getting pissed now, more so than he already was.

"Feisty, aren't we? All your questions will be answered in good time, I swear." The man sat in Val's computer chair and spun it around like a small child might, "I do love your music," the man gestured toward the computer, "Won't you play this song for me?"

"I don't have anything to play… wait a minute, answer my questions!" The man snapped his fingers and suddenly an acoustic guitar materialized in his hands. Val jumped back in shock. 'Now I know I'm losing it.'

"How in the hell did you do that?" The man smirked and offered Val the guitar.

"Magic. Sit, play, and I will explain everything." Val was cautious, but took the guitar and looked it over. It was a real guitar … pulled from thin air. 'I've got to be dreaming, or maybe someone slipped me something at the bar.'

Val didn't take his eyes off the man as he moved to his bed and sat, placing the guitar in his lap. The man didn't move, only sat and listened as Val began to play. He seemed at ease, and unconsciously Val relaxed a little. The music flowed easily from his fingers as it never had before. Absently he closed his eyes and the song became something new. He fixed the riff in the middle, and it took a whole new meaning. It was incredible. The song ended and Val opened his eyes, not realizing he'd closed them. The man sat in his chair, seeming not to have moved at all. There was only the soft sound of Dale snoring lightly.

"Now it's your turn, answer my questions." Val was impatient now. He had played this man's games long enough. Now he wanted answers. The man sighed heavily.

"As you wish. You see I know you, Valerian. We met a long time ago, you were two, I believe. Yes, exactly two," What was this man talking about? Val didn't remember him at all, and a man like this would have stuck out, "You were so cute with that little mop of hair all on top of your head. I knew you were destined for great things, even then," the man looked up at Val for the first time meeting his eyes. 'My God!' Val was stunned. His eyes, they were the same eyes he'd been dreaming about for as long as he could remember. The same sea green and black and coffee brown that haunted his dreams and nightmares every night were now sitting right before him. The man continued through Val's bewildered expression, "You recognize me now, don't you? Your mother tried so hard to complete my Labyrinth. She loved you very much. So much in fact that she sacrificed her own life Aboveground for you. You never believed your father did you? You should have held more stock in what he told you. It was true." Val's jaw dropped. How did he know all this?

"What do you know about my mother? How do you know my father? What are you talking about?" Val's voice held an aggression he'd never heard before. He rose, his posture positively threatening as he walked toward the man in his computer chair. He wanted answers, and if he had to beat them out of this man then so be it. The man rose and rushed at Val, knocking him back into the wall behind them. Val was surprised enough he couldn't move as the man leaned in to whisper into his ear. The man's breath on his skin gave Val chills.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jareth… the Goblin King."

* * *

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	3. Return

Ok, this is the longest of any one chapter I've EVER written, but this is gunna be it for a while if I still don't get the interest i'm looking for. REVIEW PLEASE! That's all I ask. Take thirty seconds and lemme know if it's worth keeping up, or if it's not, JUST TELL ME.

WARNING: this chapter contains slashier content than the others, so if you're offended by that sort of thing, don't read it.

Disclaimer: I own everything in this story but Jareth and the Labyrinth, I do like to play with them though.

* * *

Val felt consciousness pulling at him from somewhere in the dark. Something was dragging him to the surface, plucking at his mind like a harp and forcing him awake. He went to open his eyes but a pain pierced through his temples, convincing him to keep them closed, or at least open them more slowly.

"Good grief," he grumbled, rubbing his face and trying once again to open his eyes. 'Yep, still hurts,' he thought.

"G'morning sunshine," Dale chirped from somewhere in the room.

"Why the fuck are you so chipper this morning?" Val asked groggily, trying desperately to make his eyes focus.

"Reeooww! Hiss! Damn, hung over much? You didn't even drink as much as I did." It was true he hadn't drunk nearly as much as his friend but that had to be the explanation for this horrid headache. This was by far the worst hangover he'd EVER had. It was a totally different kind of pain. Usually his hangovers were just an echo from inside his brain; this felt more like a wrecking ball had come to rest on his head at some point during the night.

"Here… it's your favorite; grande hazelnut mocha, extra shot." Val focused enough to see Dale trying to hand him white cup with a green 'Starbucks' symbol on the side. 'Thank God for small miracles,' Val thought, slowly sitting up. Dale had a wide grin on his face.

"Jeez man, you've been up and out already? What the hell time is it?"

"Eleven thirty," Val's eyes went wide, which made his headache a few times worse.

"Shit, I've got class in twenty! Why didn't you wake me up, asshole!" He jumped out of bed, ignoring the searing pain between his ears. Dale started to laugh at him trying to literally hop into his pants.

"Relax man… it's Saturday, remember?" Val sat, a little dumbfounded and very much in pain as the sudden leap of his blood pressure had only served to spike his headache to an almost excruciating level.

Actually he didn't remember and this led him to wonder what else he didn't remember. No women had come back with them, none of their other friends had been over, and they hadn't gotten in trouble with the cops or campus security. All in all, it had been a pretty quiet evening. There was something important nagging at the back of his mind though. He looked around the room and his face went stark as he spotted the thing that made him remember. The guitar. Dale followed his friend's gaze to the object propped in the corner by the computer desk.

"Oh yeah man, I meant to ask you about that, once you got both eyes open of course. Where else did you go last night, or who came over? Where did that thing come from?" Val just stared for a moment, transfixed. He was secretly playing the night before over in his mind, trying to decide if it had been real or just a dream. If it was a dream then indeed where _had_ the guitar come from?

"Earth to Major Tom? Hello?" Val snapped his attention back to his friend.

"Huh? Oh, someone just dropped it off for me, that's all." Val sipped his coffee hoping Dale would let it go at that. The look on his face said it wouldn't be that easy.

"Dude, you're so full of shit! We don't have any friends that could afford a guitar like that, and besides, there's a note on it. Really, where did it come from?" Val stood with a wince and walked over to the thing like it might jump out and bite him. Sure enough there was a little white piece of paper hung on one of the tuning keys with a bit of black silk ribbon. He pulled it off and opened it.

_Valerian,_

_Enjoy the guitar. I'll be seeing you again soon._

_Sincerely,_

_J._

Val crumpled the note and looked over at Dale whose mouth stood agape.

"Hey man, at least tell me what it said!" Dale looked at that moment like a dog waiting for a bit of steak.

"Ahh… nothing," his friend looked at him skeptically, "Really, I swear."

"Whatever man. You gunna go see your dad today?" Val had almost completely forgotten. He went to the hospital every Saturday afternoon to see his father come hell or high water.

"Yeah… yeah I need to talk to him about… some stuff." He glanced down at the crumpled note in his hand and promptly took another chug of coffee. Dale shrugged.

"Well, I'll see ya later then, I'm gunna go hunt down that chick I found last night, Jolynn. Or was it Jody? Jaclyn maybe? Shit, I'll figure it out. Later man!" Dale left and Val breathed a sigh of relief. He needed answers, and he had a feeling his father could be more help than he even knew. But first he had to do something about this damn headache.

* * *

He climbed aboard the bus that ran to the outskirts of the city where the hospital that his father had called home for the last nineteen years was located. He'd gotten rid of his headache, but he still (even after the coffee Dale had brought him and another cup he'd bought himself) couldn't shake being groggy. His mind was plagued the whole ridet, wondering and thinking and pondering the previous night. He had never fancied himself as gay, or even bi-curious really, but something about this man… Jareth… was making him second-guess himself. Something about him was just so… so…alluring was the only word that fit. Val recalled how he'd felt as he'd played for Jareth, the way the music had simply flowed from his brain down into his fingertips and then out through the strings of the guitar. He thought of himself as a good musician, but he'd never been able to play so fluidly, like his fingers had a mind of their own. He rested his troubled head against the windowpane of the bus. The sun's light slipping rhythmically through the trees as they passed was almost hypnotic. They still had a while to drive; maybe he could just rest his eyes. Val suddenly realized that his eyes were following a white bird outside the bus as it flew effortlessly along the tree line. The creature was beautiful and kept up with the bus even though it flapped nonchalantly, as though it were pushed forward by some unseen force. As Val made his eyes focus, he realized it wasn't just any bird, it was a barn owl. 'That's strange,' he thought, 'I've never seen a barn owl so white before.' 

He jolted suddenly and his eyes shot open. They were at the hospital already. 'I must've drifted off after all,' he thought, feeling very strange. The lady next to him was giving him funny look, but he shrugged it off. He grabbed his bag and walked inside.

* * *

There had been a long wait, almost an hour, but he was finally allowed into his father's room. It was annoyingly beige. In fact the only actual colors present were a picture of a tranquil lake that hung above his father's bed, and the table and chairs which were wooden. His father had been lying in bed when Val entered, the nurse announcing him then leaving the two alone. His father was tall, mid-fifties, short black hair peppered with gray and a long oval face. In reality Val was practically a spitting image of his father, the only difference were the eyes and mouth. Those were all his mothers, and his father reminded him of it _every_ _single_ time he visited. 

His father sat up on the bed and looked Val over.

"You're looking well, Valerian." His father was the only person who could get away with calling him by his real name without getting a contemptuous look in response.

They went through the usual conversations; How are you? How's school? What have the courts said about releasing you? Any interesting new nurses? How's your friend? What'd you have for breakfast? Lunch? Dinner the night before?

Finally, at the end of their usual talk, Val couldn't stall anymore. He sucked in a deep breath and just began.

"I want to talk to you about … about _it_," Val said it hesitantly, hoping not to overexcite his father with the topic. The _it _he was referring to was the story of the night his mother disappeared. His father rolled his eyes.

"There's nothing to say, Val. You know the story, and you know that I don't want to talk about it anymore." His father rose and began to pace.

"That's just it, pop, I … I …" Val considered backing out on the conversation, but the look his father was giving him told him it was too late for that.

"You what?" he asked expectantly.

"I… I believe you." His father's eyes grew wide for a moment, then narrowed in suspicion. He sat back down across from his son.

"Why?"

"The man from your story-" his father cut him off.

"The Goblin King? Jareth?" His eyes went wide again.

"Yes, Jareth," the name sounded strange when he said it, like some foreign language, "He… he came to me last night, I think… and I don't think it was just a dream. He made this guitar appear out of nowhere… it was still there this morning." His father looked at him anxiously.

"And… what else happened? Did he hurt you? What did he say?"

"He said he knew me, had watched me grow up, and wanted me back. That he knew you and mom, that she sacrificed…" he faltered, almost breaking down, "that she sacrificed her life for mine in some Labyrinth of his." He hadn't cried about his mother for a long time, but now two small tears rolled down his face. His father only looked at him, awestruck at his son's words. He had started to convince himself that all the therapists were right, that he had actually killed his wife and dreamt up the 'man from another world' delusion to cover it up. But now…

"Well? What do you think? I know it sounds strange but-" his father cut him off, obviously agitated.

"I think you should forget about it." At first Val thought he hadn't heard right, but then realized that he had indeed heard his father tell him to forget it.

"What? How can you say that? After what I told you that's all you can say is forget about it?" Now it was Val's turn to get agitated. He was starting to yell, despite his best efforts not to.

"Valerian! I have missed your entire life because of something I imagined nineteen years ago; I _will not_ accept the fact that it was anything else. NURSE!" Val was speechless. He thought if anyone would believe him and understand it would be his father.

"Nurse, please escort my guest out." The same plump nurse that led him in was now at the door to lead him out. Val's speechlessness wore off suddenly.

"Dad, how can you … after all the SHIT you've put me through… how can you stand there and tell me that…DAD!" His father wouldn't even look at him now, he just stared out the window.

* * *

By the time Val got back to his dorm room he had cooled off enough to regain rational thought. There was a note from Dale saying he'd be out late and not to worry. 'Good,' he thought, 'I won't have to explain the tear stains and puffy bloodshot eyes.' 

Val flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes, replaying the day's events over in his mind. It still blew him away that his father had been so little help. He had expected… well, he wasn't sure what he'd expected, but that sure as hell wasn't it. He had never felt so betrayed in all his life. All he wanted to do now was sleep but he was sure that his chaotic thoughts would easily prevent that. He sat up and looked around and spotted the guitar in its place by his computer desk. He stood and walked over to the thing, staring at it for a moment before picking it up and taking it back to his bed and resting it on his lap. He strummed the strings absently, reveling in the smooth sound the instrument produced.

"Valerian…"

"Oh not again, haven't you caused me enough trouble?" he was exhausted, too much so to convince himself that he was delusional. "What do you want?" he snapped. He should've rephrased the question as images of flesh and sweat punctuated with soft moans filled his mind. Val gasped and blushed furiously as he recognized his own voice in the mix. Two bodies, one lithe and light haired, the other solid and dark haired. They moved as one between silken sheets; touching, teasing, biting, caressing, licking, stroking. Val let out a small moan in spite of himself and he could feel his body reacting without his express consent, but the consent of his subconscious was enough. He shook his head.

"Stop that! You know what I meant!" the images disappeared and were replaced by a soft but arrogant chuckle.

"Yes, I do, but don't you see? This is the answer. I want you. I'll take you anyway I can get you, though the afore demonstration would be preferable, I'm willing to wait for that." Another chuckle.

"You think I'm just going to jump into bed with you? Listen here, I-" Jareth spoke up.

"You, my dear boy, aren't happy with your life. You don't connect with anyone around you, for good reason; you're leagues ahead of them all. You're alone, more so now that your father has for all intents and purposes turned his back on you. He had no answers for you… but I do. Face it, you don't belong _there_."

"Oh and I suppose I belong there with you… wherever that is? Ha!"

"Why, yes actually. Once you see the place that is my home, I know you'd agree. There is magic here, magic beyond your wildest dreams. Come see for yourself." Val was intrigued, but he wouldn't let Jareth know.

"Oh really? How do I know I could get back if I so choose? How do I now you won't just kidnap me and lock me away in a tower or something?" There was silence for a moment. Val suddenly heard Jareth's voice behind him and whirled around to face the man. He was wearing almost the same outfit; same black boots, gray breeches and a black shirt this time, and he'd added a cape to set off the ensemble. 'He's still sexy,' Val thought in spite of himself.

"I give you my solemn promise as the Goblin King, if after some time, we'll say a week, you wish to leave my kingdom and come home you may do so with no obligation, and not another word from me… ever." Jareth quirked an eyebrow awaiting Val's response. He thought on it for a moment. It really was a tempting offer. The answers alone might be worth it and he really had nothing to keep him here.

"Fine." Jareth let out a wicked grin.

"Ah good choice, I knew you were smart." Jareth stepped toward Val, who moved away unsure.

"You said you wanted to go, correct?" Val nodded, "Well I can't transport us both with you over there, you have to hold on to me or it won't work." Val looked at him skeptically. Jareth stretched out his arms invitingly and Val took a deep breath and stepped into them, wrapping his own arms loosely around the man's chest, but never taking his eyes off Jareth's.

"Tighter," Jareth said sternly. Val obeyed hoping that it was enough. The smell of the other man was intoxicating and he breathed in a little deeper than he'd originally intended to. Val felt Jareth's arms close around him pulling him tighter against him so that he could feel the steady beat of his heart. He could've sworn he heard a purr escape Jareth's throat and it gave him shivers he hoped the other man wouldn't notice. The images he'd seen before threatened to butt their way into his mind, but he held them at bay for fear that Jareth would know. Besides, he was having a hard enough time as it was (no pun intended). Jareth materialized a crystal in his right hand.

"Whatever you do, don't take your eyes off mine, or you'll be lost to the abyss between our worlds, and I would hate for that to happen after all this trouble." He smirked and Val nodded, taking another deep breath as Jareth drew his mouth close to his ear and whispered.

"Say goodbye."

The crystal dropped.


End file.
